CHRISTMAS — A STATE OF MIND
Really? What does Calvin Coolidge mean by this?
For many Christmas is presents, parties, family get togethers, cookies, decorations…
For some of us Christmas is a story about the birth of Jesus, singing carols, …
Coolidge takes us deeper, to a “state of mind”. Christmas is something that happens to us, changes us, lives within us, is not limited to a time of year or a certain activity. At least, this is what I am hearing in his statement.
Christmas draws us into an emotional and mental and physical and spiritual state. A place where we live out our lives.
For me, this is grounded in the story of God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus. Not just his birth, but his whole life, his death, his resurrection, his Lordship of life, his mercy and grace toward us. This story has radically transformed my life, pulled me onto a different course, given me a new “state of mind” if you know what I mean.
I think I would go so far as to say “Christmas is a state of heart and mind and soul”.